Fashion glamour shimmers in the flesh.

GLISTENING gowns and well-heeled beauties set the mood last night for the glittering prelude to Melbourne’s frock fest.

Australia’s most glamorous women — supermodels Megan Gale and Samantha Harris, bikini babe Lara Bingle and beauty queen Jesinta Campbell — mingled on the lawns of Government House to celebrate this year’s L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

Premier Ted Baillieu was impressed by the style on display, offering himself for a makeover and confessing his fashion sense was rated triple B, for “budgies, Blundstones and boardies”.

Models wearing high- voltage gowns in shades of gold, blush and bone by A-list couturiers J’Aton, Gwendolynne, Alex Perry, Toni Maticevski, Collette Dinnigan and Megan Park elegantly set the tone.

The traditional Government House opening on the Sunday before the March 14 festival has been replaced this year by a star-studded party and a public exhibition of Aussie fashion through the decades.

New creative director Grant Pearce has tweaked the schedule to include a menswear show, and designer to the stars Alex Perry will stage a large- scale catwalk show during the festival.

Keen fashionistas can buy their way into the coveted front row with VIP seats available.